Hurricane Otis intensified rapidly and unexpectedly as it approached the coast of Mexico. The storm made landfall in Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane, unleashing wind gusts of up to 205 mph. The death toll is at least 46, with 58 people missing. Economic damages may exceed $10 billion. Acapulco is now in ruins, and it is the first time a Category 5 hurricane has hit the Pacific coast. The storm intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 disaster in just 18 hours, catching forecasters off guard. A family of three generations is among the missing. The wind gusts recorded during Hurricane Otis are among the strongest ever recorded on Earth, ranking as the fifth highest in the world. Footage of the devastation in Acapulco shows the aftermath of the storm.
Debris from Hurricane #Otis are still strewn across the beaches of Acapulco, Mexico. The storm produced a 200 mph wind gust when it came ashore as a CAT 5 hurricane https://t.co/0YmMAEIuSP
Footage from the sky shows the devastating aftermath following Category 5 Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico. https://t.co/QLBm5Sn7ym
205-mph wind gust from Mexico’s Hurricane Otis ranks as the 5th highest in the world. https://t.co/pm8Ylq1Yar
A weather station in Acapulco measured one of the strongest wind gusts ever recorded, over 200 mph, during the landfall of Hurricane #Otis. The research team from UNAM posted the data after collecting the data in person. More: https://t.co/2FMbHDOoCQ Photo courtesy of UNAM. https://t.co/U2EiW2mXEN
Three generations of a family in Mexico go missing after Otis, a Category 5 hurricane, devastated the Mexican coastal resort of Acapulco https://t.co/rFRC1I8tpG https://t.co/SRxp7oWZrK
No major model predicted Hurricane Otis—intensifying from a quotidian tropical storm to a category 5 disaster in just sixteen hours. There was no time to evacuate a city of a million, shredded by winds 100 mph faster than forecast one day before. (1/x) https://t.co/A67yZ00RXi
🌀💨 A Mexico weather station recorded a 205 mph wind gust during Category 5 Hurricane Otis, which is among the strongest wind gusts ever recorded on Earth. https://t.co/MFdnLBs17S
Acapulco is now in ruins from Hurricane Otis, the first category 5 hurricane ever to make landfall on the Pacific coast. A day before, no hurricane was even forecast or formal warning issued; Otis went from tropical storm to Cat 5 disaster in 18 hours. https://t.co/DpnzrIDz8m
When Hurricane Otis slammed into Acapulco, it unleashed a wind gust of 205 mph --ranking among most extreme ever observed globally. Death toll is now up to at least 46, with 58 people missing. Economic damages may top $10 billion. More info: https://t.co/79tiCV4jpS https://t.co/sxDcbjnbrr
As Hurricane Otis neared the coast of Mexico, it rapidly—and unexpectedly—intensified in strength. Why did no one see it coming? https://t.co/MmbqFC5ErV